A docuseries set to air this summer will explore an organization’s ongoing bid to prove Scott Peterson’s purported innocence.
On Wednesday, A&E announced the four-hour documentary, entitled “Scott Peterson: The New Evidence.” Produced by Left/Right, the two-part series will chronicle the Los Angeles Innocence Project’s attempts to get Peterson’s murder convictions overturned, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The Los Angeles Innocence Project has no connection to the Innocence Project, which is not representing Peterson in any capacity.
The Los Angeles Innocence Project had claimed that a van found on fire a day after a burglary near the Petersons’ home had a mattress in it that could be related to the murders. The van was found a mile from the family’s home. The organization also claimed it has evidence that the van did not have a mattress in it before it was stolen and before Laci Peterson’s slaying.
Scott Peterson’s legal team also suggested that Laci Peterson, 27, witnessed a burglary across the street from her home — which led to her abduction.
Laci Peterson vanished on Christmas Eve 2002 — a month before she was due to give birth. Prosecutors said Scott Peterson strangled or suffocated his pregnant wife before wrapping her in a tarp, fastening her to anchors, and dropping her in the San Francisco Bay.
Scott Peterson — who claimed he was fishing in Berkeley when his pregnant wife vanished — was ultimately arrested in San Diego County with $15,000 in cash in his possession.
Scott Peterson stood trial in 2004 and was sentenced to death the following year. However, the California Supreme Court overturned his death sentence in 2020 after jurors who disagreed with the death penalty but were willing to impose it were found to be unfairly dismissed from the case. There were also issues surrounding prejudicial misconduct after a domestic violence victim was put on the jury.
In 2021, Scott Peterson was re-sentenced to life in prison without parole for the slayings. Later that year, a judge denied his bid for a new trial.
“What happened on Christmas Eve 2002 remains fiercely debated — and this new filing argues new evidence proves it was impossible for Scott Peterson to have committed the crimes against his wife and unborn son,” teases the synopsis for the upcoming docuseries.
Meanwhile, Peterson remains housed at Mule Creek State Prison — where a fellow inmate attacked him last year during a game of pickleball. Last month, prosecutors told TMZ that they will not be pursuing criminal charges against Peterson’s alleged attacker.
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[Feature Photo: Scott Peterson/Andy Alfaro/The Modesto Bee via AP, PoolCaleb Harris/CCPD]